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Rookie is an online magazine and book series for teenagers. Each month, a different editorial theme drives the writing, photography, and artwork that we publish. Learn more about us here, and find out how to submit your work here!

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I am obsessed with the quirky ’70s-does-’30s look of the (sadly, no longer around) Biba boutique in London. How do I make smoky doll eyes and bow lips more wearable for school and work? —Hannah, 17, Michigan

I love the makeup associated with the Biba time period. I go all-out and mimic the more colorful looks pretty often! Here are a few things you can do to achieve a Biba-type makeup look while keeping your makeup casual and easy.

Groom and shape your brows (check out this video for a tutorial if you don’t know how).

Step Two:

Create a smoky eye with soft colors that appear neutral against your complexion. It’s important to this look not to “wing” out the shadow, but rather have it drag downward in order to help round out the eye. Apply your lighter color all over your eye area.

Step Three:

Use a darker color in another neutral shade along the edge of your eye socket, starting from the bridge of your nose and ending at the outer edge of the eye.

Step Four:

Dab some concealer or white eye liner in the outer corners of your waterline.

Step Five:

Trace your top lash line with black or brown eye liner, on the very inner corner of your waterline, and underneath your bottom lashes to help give your eye a teardrop shape. You can soften those lines with your finger or a brush.

Step Six:

Use plenty of mascara, especially on your bottom lashes, to further open up the eye.

Step Seven:

I created a bow shape on my lips with a natural-toned lipstick and matching liner. Draw the shape you want with lip liner, then fill it in with your lip color.

Step Eight:

If you prefer a lighter eye look, you can cover your eye area in a tan or cream color and put a subtle pop of color in the center. Jewel tones were typical of both the ’70 s and ’30s, so I chose green.

I was recently gifted a big eye shadow palette full of bright, colorful shades (oranges, greens, purples, etc.). I don’t have a lot of experience with eye shadow and have no idea how to wear them! Any tips on wearing bright colors without looking overdone? —Katherine, 14, CA

There are so many ways to use color without looking like a candy raver—an admittedly rad aesthetic, but not, from the sounds of things, the one you’re going for. The secret to a bright-but-understated eye is mostly about technique, as opposed to the actual makeup shades you’re using. Just about any color—your oranges, greens, purples, and all the other vibrant etcetera your palette has to offer—can look totally subtle if you know how to put it on. Do you have an eye shadow brush? I don’t mean the teense spongy ones that often come with eye shadow, but an actual soft-bristled brush. They’re available at most drugstores for a song—this e.l.f. one is three bucks, and I adore all EcoTools brushes, like this one, for just a dollar more. If you can also afford to spring for an eye shadow primer, which holds your product in place and makes the colors shine more closely to how they appear in the packaging, you will ensure that you don’t end up with raveadocious streaks or flakes of misplaced pigment on your face. Try this great NYX jam for seven dollars, why don’t you? Put on the primer first, and whichever of the following looks you try, use the brush, as opposed to your fingers or the aforementioned sponge applicator, to apply the shadow(s) of your choosing!

As far as different approaches to color go, we’ve had several eye-popping tutorials on Rookie to this tune before! Indigo, answerer extraordinaire of the preceding question, is amazing at using colorful makeup in effortless-looking ways. Check out her Lupita Nyong’o—inspired DIY to put those oranges to good use, her Suzy Bishop look for a stunning blue situation, and her empress tutorial for just about ANY color! And here’s a rad video from Kiana Fernandez on how to Crayola up your peeperzzz:

Maybe right now, you are like, “Hold up, Amy So-Called Rose. How do I even employ my paintbox in the first place?” Fear not! This Learning the Face-ics video tutorial about eye shadow has you covered—use any combination of shades in the same color family (e.g., your two or three shadows would fall in line next to one another on a rainbow) to create a smoky eye! Here’s how:

For more inspiration, I’m wild about the Instagram account @wakeupandmakeup, which features SO many rad eye techniques on the daily. Check out all their offerings and you’re bound to see something you like! —Amy Rose

A terrible zit has appeared right on the corner of my mouth! I popped it and put aloe vera gel on it, but there’s still a dark-colored spot. Do you have any advice for making it leave? —Tabby, Oregon

Unfortunately, there is no 100 percent–miraculous overnight thing you can buy over the counter to get rid of hyperpigmentation from acne scarring. If the spot’s red, you can try using an anti-redness eye drop. You can also try tea tree oil or sulfur treatments, both of which are easily available in drugstores. Just don’t put lemon juice or toothpaste on it, which are popular DIY hacks that can actually lead to chemical burns: The acidity from doing these two things can mess your skin up and exacerbate redness.

To reduce and, eventually, eliminate acne scarring, gently exfoliate over time to promote cell turnover in your skin. This means a chemical exfoliant (look for AHA/BHA exfoliating products), rather than a granular/bead kind, which are not only often bad for the environment (plastic beads down the shower = they end up in ocean = gross pollution), but can rip the pores of your skin. Super gross. A good exfoliant means there is gonna be less buildup of gunk in your skin. Hoorah! If you wanna go the DIY route, you can try an aspirin face mask (here’s a tutorial). Me, personally, I’m a huge fan of the Paula’s Choice liner of exfoliants. I used to have a lot of hyperpigmentation from acne that never faded, but I started using this as a toner after washing my face, and the spots went away pretty quickly. Hope that helps! —Arabelle ♦

Put some cool-looking junk on your mug! Why not! For specific guidance on this front, please email Amy Rose and the O!PYT league at [email protected], and include your NAME/NICKNAME, AGE, and CITY.

sudocrem is really good for getting rid of pimple redness, just to put directly on spot and leave it overnight

OneinaAugust 12th, 20159:25 AM

The biba makeup is love <3
I don't wear a lot of makeup but I want to try this out ^_^

strawberryhairAugust 12th, 20159:34 AM

I had really bad acne this uear, and I went on a course of antibiotics to clear it up. After the actual spots had stopped coming, I had a lot of redness and scarring, because I’m quite pale. My doctor told me to take fish oil capsules, because they contain vitamins A, D, E and K, which all help your skin to repair and heal. They really helped to fade my acne scars, so I 100% recommend them. They also make your skin really healthy and glowy! Also, if you have sensitive skin, green tea is an amazing exfoliant: it’s super gentle and the antioxidants are really good for your skin. Mix it into your regular cleanser and use it as a face wash.